32 - Stockholm

Anders Fogelstrom wrote in his book "Min drommars stad" (City of my dreams): "It was waiting for him, the city which had for so long been in his dreams".

Stockholm is a multicultural metropolis and I think that it's one of the most beautiful capital cities in the world. The sight of the city at the end of day is awful, everything seems like in a dream, the lights are mirrored on the water, there's no noise, no pollution, everything around you is perfect.

We booked a room in the Old Town, in the "town between the bridges".

Everywhere you turn there is something worth seeing, something of historic interest and cultural significance. Birger Jarl, the ruler at the time, had a city wall fortifications built around Gamla Stan to "lock" the entrance of Lake Malaren. The fortress was known as Tre Kronor and was destroyed by fire in 1697. It was rebuilt as the Royal Palace that stands today and is the official residence of the monarch.

This little island is very beautiful and quiet and allows you to visit every place (and also some important place like the Royal Palace of Stockholm, the Nobel museum or the Cathedral of Stockholm) without be assailed by the crowd. We spent most of our time here - indeed we had only two days in Sweden - and we moved to Sodermalm ("The island that never sleeps") only in the evening.

And actually this is true!! Whatever the time of day or night (but i saw only night) the city is alive and the possibilities are endless. During the evening you can see a lot of people wandering along the streets, having fun out of the bar (and in the bar!), eating in the restaturant and so on.

Reading the guide, I find out that during the summer, you can take the opportunity to visit the old prison island of Langholmen, which is now a youth hostel and museum. The island also has the Langholmensbadet beach, where you can swim from the cliffers or lie in the sun on the soft sand (!).